Chapter 299

The shops were small, cramped and filled to the brim with touristy stuff. Some of it was summer stuff, some of it was America stuff for the 4th, and some of it was hippy stuff. You started seeing repeated goods in the third shop. It was hot, you were all sweating, and you doubted there was going to be anything you would want to buy.

And fuck if you didn’t care.

The girls were having fun. From the moment you all hit the beach street none of them dropped their smiles. You tried on a dozen pairs of sunglasses, and a half dozen silly hats were put on your head and you were shown possibly a hundred different silly shirts. Bags, mostly small ones, slowly started to accumulate in your hands. Sabrina bought a cute tie-dye wrap in one shop. Gemma bought a straw hat coloured like the American flag, both because it would suit her outfit for the beach and as a souvenir to bring back home. Sabrina bought a trio of really long lollipops that she said reminded her of being a kid. Ollie even got in on things and bought a couple of old CDs from a store that you swore was half-thrift shop, along with a new pair of sunglasses that you had to admit suited her face.

Then came the really hippy store. It was practically a maze that you had to navigate through to see everything, and the girls took plenty of pictures together and with you next to weird wooden carvings and statuettes that you couldn’t imagine anyone actually buying for their home. Then, near the back, there was more of the touristy stuff along with a whole ‘gem girl’ area with crystals and shit, and clothes, and jewellery.

“What do you think, love?” Gemma asked, turning to you and holding up a pair of dangling earrings that reminded you of something you’d see on an Indian bride at her wedding.

“They’re cute, but won’t they pull on your earlobes?” you asked, stepping over to her.

“Maybe,” she grinned. “But I don’t know if I could pull off earrings this big.”

“I think you could make anything look good, love,” you said.

She grinned and went to her tiptoes to give you a peck on the lips before turning back to the counter. “What about this one? I could get another piercing in the top part of my ears, and when I’m not wearing it I could get a little stud for it.” She pointed out a little silver chain designed to attach to the ear at the lobe and somewhere higher.

“Baby, if you want to get another piercing then I think it would look great,” you said, hugging her from behind.

The woman who had been talking with Gemma from behind the counter took out the earring to show her. Gemma took it and held it up to her ear and had you take a picture so she could see what it would look like, then asked you to go find Sabrina so she could see it too.

Sabrina was with Victoria and Corey across the shop looking at a display from one local artist or another. At first glance, it looked like more hippy trippy sunsets and crap, but Sabrina and Corey were giggling and Victoria was blushing and biting her bottom lip.

“What’s up?” you asked as you stepped behind Sabrina and wrapped your arms around her.

“These paintings are practically porn,” Sabrina snorted, trying to stifle herself from laughing harder.

“What?

“They’re all vaginas,” Corey coughed.